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THE BATTALION
Thursday, August 6, 1964
College Station, Texas
Page 3
Cadet Corps Focuses On Future
“Texas A&M is writing its own
jnilitary history in the blood of its
graduates. No name stands out
V Snore brilliantly than the heroic de-
Ifender of Corregidor, General
[George F. Moore. Whenever I see
a Texas A&M man in my command,
I have a feeling of confidence.” No
fother statement such as the above
i !by the late Gen. Douglas Mac-
Ti Arthur can better exemplify the
high regard held for the Corps
of Cadets at A&M University.
To preserve and enrich such a
rich heritage Col. Denzil L. Baker,
lommandant of the Corps of Ca-
lets since August 1, 1963, is strlv-
ng to build the corps along with
;he “Blueprint for Progress’ ini-
;iated in November of 1963.
Col. Baker, a 1933 A&M grad
uate, is a highly-decorated veteran
of World War II and the Korean
Conflict. He came to A&M in July
bf 1963 from the Pentagon where
he was chief of the special Review
Division of the Office of Army
Personnel .
J In June, 1963, The Board of
,.Directors adopted a recommenda
tion by President Rudder, to con
solidate the duties of commandant
with those of a regular officer and
eliminate the staff of civilian tacti- j
cal officers.
| A&M is the largest single source j
I of reserve officers in the nation j
nd its highly qualified students
are eligible for regular commis
sions the equal of those offered by
West Point and the Air Force
Academy.
1 All students are required to take
elementary training in the Air
Force or Army ROTC if they are
Under 21, of sound body and a
citizen of the United States.
Air Force Cadets
Air Force Cadets apply for en
rollment in the advanced course
during their second year of basic
air science. They take the Air
Force Officers Qualification Test
and those who qualify are given a
physical examination. Advance
course cadets are deferred from
atiff
draft by the Selective Service.
They receive uniforms and
approximately $500 during their
two years in the program. During
the summer between the first and
second years of the advanced
course, the cadet attends a four-
week summer camp on an Air
Force base.
During the senior year, a cadet
who has applied for Air Force
pilot training after graduation is
given 36% hours of flight training
in light aircraft and 35 hours of
ground school.
Flight training is provided at the
University by an FFA approved
flying school operator, and upon
successful completion the student
is eligible for a private pilot
license.
If a student is admitted to the
advanced course, he must agree to
accept a commission as an officer
in the Air Force Reserve.
He must also agree to serve on
active duty for not less than four
years after being commissioned,
or, if applying for flight training
either as a pilot or as a navigator,
he must agree to serve for four
years upon completion of flight
training. Col. Raymond C. Lee,
who has combined air force careers
as a jet pilot and teacher, is a
professor of Air Science and the
new head of the Air Force ROTC
at A&M.
Army Cadets
While the four year Army ROTC
program normally leads to a re
serve commission, the Army relies
upon this source for half of the
new Regular Army Officers
appointed each year.
The Army program is a general
military science curriculum and
under the Distinguished Military
Graduate Program, interested ca
dets may apply for regular commis
sions.
Under the term of the contract,
Army program graduates are re
quired to serve for two years in
the Regular Army and for four
years with the Army Reserve.
Branch assignments for regular
and reserve commissions are made
by the Department of the Army
and are based on the curriculum
of the student’s major field of
study, student preference, leader
ship and technical qualifications.
On Feb. 17, 1964 the Corps of
Cadets assembled in Guion Hall to
hear a suggestion from Col. Baker,
Corps Commander Paul Dresser
and Deputy Commander Richard
Railston for the members of the
Corps to begin following the regu
lations to the letter in the treat
ment and disciplining of Fresh
men.
Corps Reputation
At the Monday meeting, Dresser
said the reputation of the Corps of
Cadets was the major difficulty
in recruiting freshmen. Under the
suggested, Col. Baker could tell
parents when they came to him
with their complaints, that such
things were just not done.
Baker said that if this was done,
he could see a 5,000 member Corps
in two years.
The Corps Commandant said
March 16, that three general things
constitute a military school desig
nated such as that which A&M
OLD ARMY
. a colorful by-gone era.
University, Cadets
Ha ve Early History
I A&M University, like all land-
Igrant institutions all over the
Ignited States, owes its origin to
the Morrill Act.
I Approved by Congress July 2,
■862, the act provides for the
donation of a specified amount of
public land which was to constitute
a perpetual fund, the principal of
which should remain forever un
diminished.
I On April 17, 1871, the state
legislature accepted the provisions
H)f the Act and provided for the
establishment of the Agricultural
and Mechanical College of Texas.
K The institution was opened at
fcollege Station and instruction
began on October 4, 1876.
I Although the school has actually
had university status for many
years, the title was not changed
fcntil 1963.
Since 1876 when A&M first
pened its doors with six students
t has been a military school.
For many years, A&M has had
the largest military school in the
United States. It is now one of
seven military colleges and uni
versities.
At least two years of military
training are required of all stu
dents, except veterans, physically
handicapped, foreign nationals,
men over 21 years of age and
transfer students with more than
30 hours of credit.
Organized in military units and
living under military supervision,
the cadets wear their uniforms
throughout the school year.
In World War I, 52 former
students died in military service.
Following the war, the New
York Sun, in an analysis of war
participation by American college
and universities, declared that
A&M had furnished a greater
proportion of its alumni as com
missioned officers than any other
school.
- V' 3^® ■
EYES RIGHT
. for everyone including Reveille.
has officially received from the
Department of Army. They are
that there be a four-year ROTC
program, that uniforms be worn
at all times and that military
discipline be present.
On January 15, Cadet Col. of the
Corps Dresser said, “For the sake
of uniformity of the Corps, cadets
will not wear the ‘Midnight’ uni
form in its present form next
year.”
On March 20, it was announced
that approximately $70,000 would
be spent by the university in an
effort to “dress up” the Corps of
Cadets.
Last year, the Corps of Cadets
was run by the seniors. Col.
Baker said the corps was set up
this way because seniors had been
asking for years to run the Corps,
the system creates a better military
organization, and a maximum
opportunity for students to “prac
tice leadership,” is available.
‘Corps Will Grow’
On April 28, Neil L. Keltner said,
“The Corps of Cadets will grow
if people will have the right atti
tude. If everybody doesn’t put out,
we won’t have anything.’ Keltner
was chosen to head the cadets dur
ing the 1964-65 school year.
On Wednesday, June 24, the U. S.
House of Representatives passed
H. R. 9124 to vitalize the Reserve
Officer Training Corps. This bill,
if passed by the Senate and Pres
ident, will authorize military de
partments to provide scholarship
assistance to students in the four
year ROTC program.
The bill would consist of two
elements, payment of books, la
boratory fees, etc., for each ac-
cademic year and payment of
monthly retainer pay in the amount
of $50 a month, for 10 months at
an annual cost of $500 for each
student.
Students receiving financial
assistance will be required to com
mit themselves to a minimum
period of four years of active
duty.
Increase in travel allowance
from five cents per mile to six
cent per mile was also proposed
in the bill. In addition summer-
camp pay will be increased from
$78 per month to $111.15.
The new program, if it is passed
by the Senate in its present form,
is expected to provide much incen
tive to the Corps of Cadets and
ROTC establishments all over the
United States.
A general across-the-board pay
increase had also been hoped to be
included in the bill for all con
tracted ROTC students. However
no mention of this was included
in the bill’s present form.
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